How NOT to socially distance with Matt Hancock…: Health Secretary is caught on camera breaking his own two-metre rule twice in 30 seconds in the Commons
- Matt Hancock broke his two-metre rule twice in 30 seconds in the Commons
- It follows a mix-up this morning when he called Marcus Rashford ‘Daniel’
- Social media users ridiculed the Health Secretary for not following instructions
Matt Hancock has been caught on camera in the Commons breaking his own two-metre rule twice in 30 seconds as his day goes from bad to worse.
Shortly before Prime Minister’s Questions, the Health Secretary appeared to pat one MP on the back before stepping over tape to speak to another.
Mr Hancock’s gaffe came amid a blunder-prone day and just hours after he called Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, who successfully campaigned for free school meals to be extended over the summer, ‘Daniel’.
Video shows Mr Hancock approaching an MP facing away from the camera and patting him on the back before standing less than one metre away.
They stand shoulder-to-shoulder before a third MP stands on the right of the pair – all of whom are within the required two-metre distance of each other.
Mr Hancock, on the far left, looks at the other two, before the middle MP realises they have gone wrong and steps back.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s day has gone from bad to worse as he has been caught on camera breaking his own two-metre rule twice in 30 seconds
Video shows Mr Hancock approaching an MP facing away and patting him on the back before standing less than one metre away. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder before a third MP stands on the right of the pair – all of whom are within the required two-metre distance of each other
However, the Health Secretary then bizarrely takes his place and stands in the centre, less than two-metres from both of them.
Mr Hancock then shifts back to the left to keep his distance.
The blunder occurred in the Commons just before Prime Minister’s Questions. It followed an own goal this morning in which he praised Marcus Rashford’s campaign for free school meals – but called him Daniel Rashford instead.
It also follows public criticism of Boris Johnson’s chief aide and former SAGE advisor Neil Ferguson, who broke either the spirit or the letter of the lockdown.
The social distancing stumble was spotted by a Twitter account who posted: ‘Social distancing dancing with Matt Hancock just before #PMQs.
However, the Health Secretary then bizarrely takes his place and stands in the centre, less than two-metres from both of them. Mr Hancock then shifts back to the left to keep his distance
Mr Hancock’s blunder was met with ridicule and condemnation by social media users who have been instructed since mid-March to observe the two-metre rule
‘He eventually worked out that he was on camera breaking his own rules…’
It was met with ridicule and condemnation by social media users who have been instructed since mid-March to observe the two-metre rule.
One commented: ‘Adults with stickers on the floor not adhering to social distancing – there will be four yr olds in school doing a better job than this. Despair.’
Another posted: ‘Good proof for when they start accusing us of causing a second wave because we were not “following the rules”!!’
The Health Secretary, who is a Newcastle United fan, was widely lampooned and criticised over the own goal on Sky News this morning where he was accused of ‘living in a bubble’ and ‘not being on top of his brief’.
Marcus Rashford reacted with good humour to Matt Hancock’s name mix up this morning
Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford arrives at the club’s Carrington training complex this morning after successfully campaigning for free school meals
Mr Hancock laughed about it in a later BBC interview, apologising and admitting he ‘misspoke’ – before adding on LBC: ‘My seven-year-old listens to Harry Potter, reads Harry Potter avidly, and including at 5.30am this morning when I got up to do this morning media round, and so maybe I had Harry Potter on my mind.’
Mr Hancock was presumably referring to Potter film star Daniel Radcliffe. In any event, the Manchester United striker saw the funny side and admitted it was not the worst thing he had been called this week.
Gary Lineker poked fun at the error, saying: ‘Good to see Matt Hancock finally giving credit to footballers and Daniel Rashford in particular’, to which Mr Rashford tweeted: ‘I’ve been called much worse over the last couple of days’.
The England striker today revealed Boris Johnson phoned him and thanked him for using his profile to help feed vulnerable families as the football star said he is already considering his next child poverty campaign.